It is common practice to connect the switch conductor in membrane switches to conductors on a circuit board by providing a mult-contact connector on the membrane switch with conductors extending from the connector to a circuit board and connected to the conductors on the circuit board which are controlled by the switch. Under many circumstances, the membrane switch is mounted in a panel, for example, a housing panel, which is adjacent to the circuit board contained in the housing. The present invention is directed to the achievement of an improved switch which is intended to be readily mounted in a platelike member and which has integral switch leads which engage the circuit board conductors when the switch is mounted in the panel.
One embodiment of a switch assembly in accordance with the invention comprises a flat molded switch housing having integral means for securing the housing to a panel when the housing is inserted into an opening in the panel. The housing contains a membrane switch having resilient sheet metal conductor leads connected to, and extending from, the switch conductors contained in the switch. These leads extend obliquely away from the switch housing and have contact portions which are located and dimensioned such that when the housing is mounted in the panel, the contact portions of these leads engage the circuit board conductors on the adjacent circuit board which are to be controlled by the switch. The use of a switch in accordance with the invention, therefore avoids the necessity of providing separate connectors and cables on the switch for connecting the switch to the circuit board conductors. Furthermore, the electrical connections to the circuit board conductors are achieved by merely mounting the switch in the panel member.